5. the breaking down of a molecule or compound into simpler structures.

6. the series of cell divisions in mitosis that converts the fertilized egg into blastomeres.

[1810–20]

cleav·age

(klē′vĭj)

1. Geology The breaking of certain minerals along specific planes, making smooth surfaces. These surfaces are parallel to the faces of the molecular crystals that make up the minerals. A mineral that exhibits cleavage breaks into smooth pieces with the same pattern of parallel surfaces regardless of how many times it is broken. Some minerals, like quartz, do not have a cleavage and break into uneven pieces with rough surfaces.

2. Biology In an embryo, the series of cell divisions by which a single fertilized egg cell becomes a many-celled blastula.

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